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| Bob Stroud |
Bob Stroud, one of Chicago’s most beloved classic rock radio voices for nearly 50 years, has started fulltime retired.
The 75-year-old delivered his final “Ten at 10” last week on WDRV-FM 97.1 The Drive, his home for the past 25 years, closing out a career that built a dedicated following known as the “Stroud Crowd.”
“I look at my radio career as so lucky how everything just happened,” Stroud said. “I never really sought it out. It’s been a very humbling experience.”
Stroud’s signature shows, including the long-running “Ten at 10,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll Roots,” and “One 45 at 1:45,” introduced listeners to deep cuts, one-hit wonders, and nostalgic themes from rock’s golden eras. He continued producing “Ten at 10” and other specialty programming after stepping back from his daily midday show in 2022.
Stroud began his radio journey in 1977 at a Florida rock station, where he coined the “Stroud Crowd” nickname. He arrived in Chicago in 1979 at WMET-FM, later working at The Loop, where he launched “Rock ‘N’ Roll Roots” and “Ten at 10” in 1993. His résumé also includes stints at AM 1000, CD 94.7, and WXRT before joining The Drive in 2001, where he remained through ownership changes and format evolution.
His passion for radio traces back to 1962, when as a sixth-grader in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he first heard Dick Biondi on WLS-AM.“I can say that’s square one of how my life changed that night,” Stroud recalled.
In retirement, Stroud plans to spend more time at his Michigan vacation cottage with his wife Diane and their 16-year-old son. He also faces the task of sorting through decades of accumulated 45 rpm records.
“Trying to figure out what to do with 45s,” he said. “I don’t know how many people can say that, but that’s my problem.”